The present invention relates to a computing technique, and more particularly to an apparatus for analysis of network diagrams and can be used when constructing special-purpose computers for time-saving and graphic analysis of network graphs with visual representation of situations in various fields of science and technology, in biological systems, etc;
The contents of branches may be different in each particular case (cf. Joseph J. Moder, Cecil R. Phillips, Project Management with CPM and PERT, Reinhold Publishing Corporation, Chapman and Hall Ltd;, London-New York, 1964).
There are known analogue apparatus for the analysis of network diagrams, comprising a branch model unit in which the branch models are interconnected in accordance with the topology of the network by means of a patch board and connected to a control unit. Structurally, a branch model of the branch model unit is a device which simulates a predetermined time interval corresponding to the length of the respective branch. The branch model incorporates a circuit for determining the branch pertaining to the longest path from the initial node to a selected node, while the configuration of this path is determined by means of an indication circuit incorporated in the known apparatus.
However, the prior art apparatus for analysis of network diagrams suffers from serious disadvantages arising from the necessity of connecting, by means of the patch board, two input and three output ends of each branch model to an equal number of input and output ends of the subsequent branch models. This substantially increases the time spent on preparing the problem on the patch board; moreover, it calls for a great number of commutated channels, whereby the reliability of the preformance of the apparatus is affected and the operator's work is hampered.
The known apparatus fail to provide for determining directly the calender terms of the time characteristics, which renders the use of this apparatus in man-machine systems inconvenient.